In This Moment kicked off the Thanksgiving weekend with a heavy punch to metal heads in Detroit. Jamie Limbright/The Pit
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n This Moment brought the Black Widow Tour to Detroit to give Michigan fans a dose of the new and improved band.
The Los Angeles band joined the touring circuit in 2007 and have recently earned the title for being one of the most theatrical and entertaining groups on tour today. Fronted by the captivating, Maria Brink, whose presence on stage enraptures your eyes and soul.
The evening began at 7:30pm with the Minneapolis rock band, 3 Pill Morning. The crew took the stage clad in suits to deliver songs off their new album, Black Tie Love Affair.
The heavier-driven Aussie quintet took the stage next, Twelve Foot Ninja. Their experimental rock sound got the crowd going as they kicked off their set with an older tune, ‘War’ and went into a newer favorite, ‘Mother Sky.’
As Starset took the stage, I felt I was being morphed into a sci-fi movie. Each instrumentalist donned helmets that lit their faces blue, matching the glowing drum set. The unique visual performance and sound separated them firmly from the other openers.
The colossal moment of the evening came as soon as the black widow imprinted scrim was dropped and two dancers took the stage as Maria Brink made her grand entrance with the band. The front-woman appropriately matched the title of tour arrayed in a black cape, gloves, hat and fangs tantamount to a spider.
In This Moment began their set with songs off their new album, ‘Sick Like Me’ and ‘Black Widow.’ Brink and her two dancers worked the stage and choreographed black diamond-shaped cages into their routine.
The set quickly transitioned back to the band’s old album theme, blood, as the dancers appeared with human-sized needles. Brink came to the middle of the stage dressed in a nurse’s outfit with a smoke gun blasting left and right as they commenced to play ‘Adrenalize.’
When it was time for the band to play their new-hit single, ‘Sex Metal Barbie’ to entire stage illuminated pink, and Brink roared in a tiara at a pink covered podium with a black widow engraved on the front.
The evening took an emotional turn as Brink shared some loving words with the audience before entering into the ballad, ‘Into the Light.’
The gears were quickly shifted into full gear as the instrumentalists took the spotlight jamming out to a Metallica/Slayer/Pantera medley, along with an intense drum solo from Tom Hane.
In This Moment closed out their set with ‘Whore’ and a cover of the Nine Inch Nails song, ‘Closer’ while Brink danced (while continuing to sing) on a chair in front of a large metal web. The audience sang along to every word. It was a memorizing moment.
The crowd wanted more, and chanted for it. More like demanded it. The group played ‘Blood’ as the encore and the crowd dispersed every ounce of energy they had left.
The high amount of transitions, costume changes, and production value was astonishing. In This Moment has not only grown musically over the years, but can execute a show that is beyond memorable.
